Military jamming disrupted a medical plane's GPS system before it crashed last month in New Mexico

Military jamming disrupted GPS on a small medical plane before it crashed in the Capitan Mountains near Ruidoso, New Mexico, killing four people and sparking a wildfire. The NTSB’s preliminary report notes GPS problems the pilots faced, though the final cause will be determined next year. Controllers directed the crew toward the airport using instrument landing guidance, and at one point the military was asked to shut down the jammers, then later permitted to resume. Experts say pilots should still be able to land safely without GPS by relying on ground-based navigation or visual sighting. The Capitan area is rugged and forested, and the nearby wildfire burned 48.4 square miles (125.4 km2) before containment was declared on June 12.